Monday, July 19, 2010

Tool #11: Digital Citizenship

Good Citizenship is something that we as teachers stress to our students no matter which grade level they are in. We are always telling them to respect one another or to follow the rules. Now that technology is a daily part of this world, digital citizenship needs to be part of this routine as well. The students need to make sure that personal information should not be shared online. Letting them know that this includes sharing their full name, home address, phone numbers and any passwords. Students always hear they should not talk to strangers this falls under that same idea. Another aspect that needs to be stressed is the authenticity of sources. First graders might not understand this concept completely, but it is never to early to begin teaching them about it. Making them understand that just because they found it with google it is necessarily accurate. The final point I would stress with my students with be posting etiquette. We are introducing students to blogs and wanting them to interact and share, but they need to understand the importance of being respectful and mindful when it comes to sharing and posting.